Today, the late, great George Jones is hailed as the greatest singer in the history of country music. Songs like “A Good Year for the Roses,” “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” and “The Grand Tour” put his silky smooth voice and stunning delivery on full display. However, before he was recording some of the slickest tear-jerkers in the genre’s history, he cut several rockabilly tunes. His first No. 1 single, “White Lightning,” may be the best of the bunch.
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“White Lightning” isn’t just Jones’ first No. 1 hit. It’s also a lot of fun. From the upbeat arrangement to the hiccup sounds in the chorus, it’s hard to have a bad time while the song plays. After a long few days, it is also the pick-me-up I needed to get me through the rest of the week. Watch a young Possum perform the toe-tapper in the vintage clip below.
George Jones Took Time to Find His Sound
George Jones didn’t start his career ready to take on the title of the world’s greatest country singer. Like countless other artists, it took Jones time to find his sound and his niche in the genre.
When he first started recording songs with Pappy Daily’s Starday Records, he tried hard to sound like his heroes. Eventually, Daily informed him that the world already had a Hank Williams and a Lefty Frizzell. If he wanted to go anywhere in the business, he needed to give the people something new.
Jones did that in the mid-1950s with songs like “Why Baby Why” and “I’m Ragged But Right.” Then, the music world started changing when Elvis Presley rose to stardom around 1956. Hoping to find the same level of success, he was pressured to record a handful of rockabilly songs. He reluctantly recorded a them under the name Thumper Jones and was never truly proud of them.
Interestingly, he found his first No. 1 single with “White Lightning,” a song that sounded more like early rock and roll than some of his Thumper Jones cuts. Years later, he would mature as an artist, team up with legendary producer Billy Sherrill, and become the brilliant but troubled singer we all know and love today. We likely have the success of early singles like “White Lightning” to thank for all of the great tunes that came later.
Featured Image by Ebet Roberts/Redferns
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